Uninsured Rate Drops

The rate of those without health insurance in the U.S. has dropped noticeably over the past few months and it is very likely the reduction is the result of the Affordable Care Act. From Gallup:

Looking at the breakdown of the number it is clear the ACA is playing a big role in the reduction since it started at the beginning of this year. The number of people getting insurance via Medicaid or buying an individual policy is up, while the number getting insurance via an employer is way down. It is safe to assume based on Gallup’s data that the ACA is responsible for increasing the number of people with insurance by a few million.

Figuring out exactly how many have gained coverage as a result of the law is almost impossible because the federal exchanges don’t keep track of who was previously insured. We don’t definitively know if someone using the exchange was uninsured or was simply switching plans.

The uninsured rate is still higher than when Obama took office. There is one month of open enrollment left so we will see if it can get below that number this year.

Uninsured Rate Drops

The rate of those without health insurance in the U.S. has dropped noticeably over the past few months and it is very likely the reduction is the result of the Affordable Care Act. From Gallup:

Looking at the breakdown of the number it is clear the ACA is playing a big role in the reduction since it started at the beginning of this year. The number of people getting insurance via Medicaid or buying an individual policy is up, while the number getting insurance via an employer is way down. It is safe to assume based on Gallup’s data that the ACA is responsible for increasing the number of people with insurance by a few million.

Figuring out exactly how many have gained coverage as a result of the law is almost impossible because the federal exchanges don’t keep track of who was previously insured. We don’t definitively know if someone using the exchange was uninsured or was simply switching plans.

The uninsured rate is still higher than when Obama took office. There is one month of open enrollment left so we will see if it can get below that number this year.

Jane Hamsher

Jane is the founder of Firedoglake.com. Her work has also appeared on the Huffington Post, Alternet and The American Prospect. She’s the author of the best selling book Killer Instinct and has produced such films Natural Born Killers and Permanent Midnight. She lives in Washington DC.Subscribe in a reader